The Gift
by Danni Evans
Summary: Francine tries to help Amanda 'get over' Lee Stetson.  Set mid-Season 4, then about a year after the series ended.


Note: Upon reflection, I think the first scene may have been subconsciously inspired by another fic I read a long time ago, and can't remember the title or the author…any resemblance is entirely unintentional. My apologies to the author if mine too closely resembles hers/his!

* * *

Amanda fingered the ivory satin gently. It was just the kind of thing a woman would wear on her wedding night – elegant, sexy, and just the right style to make a man's imagination run wild. She shuddered at the thought of the look in Lee's eyes if he saw her in this.

It wasn't as though he'd never seen her naked before. They had enjoyed a very…fulfilling relationship, ever since they'd finally declared their love for each other. But Amanda had never bought this kind of thing with Lee in mind…The idea of buying a negligee specifically to tempt him brought a feline smile to her face. She quickly placed the item in her mesh shopping bag to join the few basic necessities she'd already picked up.

Wandering through the rest of the store, she blushed at a few of the more risqué items. While Dawn's was quite a classy place, there was a small section devoted to more…adventurous merchandise. Quickly, Amanda averted her eyes and walked past the area. Yes, she was about to get married to a very adventurous man, but…she'd wait a little longer to push her comfort zone _that_ far.

On the back wall, a beautiful peach nightgown caught her attention. From what she could see, it too was made of satin, and was nearly floor-length. The spaghetti straps attached to a loose horizontal neckline that, when worn, would scoop down to reveal a hint of cleavage, or would fall completely forward if its wearer bent over. Drawn to the elegance, Amanda picked up the hanger and gasped.

The nightgown was nearly backless, consisting of only a few thin criss-crossed strips of satin holding the garment together. Knowing Lee's reaction when she wore a low-backed dress, Amanda knew he'd never be able to keep his hands off her in this. Holding the peach satin gently in her hands, she reached for the price tag to see if, just maybe, it might be in her budget.

"Amanda! Fancy seeing you here!"

Amanda gasped and spun to meet the voice, nearly dropping the nightgown in the process. "Oh, hello, Francine," she said as casually as she could muster. "I didn't expect to see you in a place like this."

"Well, Dawn's isn't as high fashion as other places I've shopped, but she has some beautiful pieces." Francine gestured to the garment in Amanda's hands. "It's too bad you don't have anyone to show that off to. It would really look lovely on you."

A little surprised at Francine's uncharacteristic compliment, Amanda blushed. "Oh, well, thanks, Francine." Flustered, she quickly placed the hanger back on the rack.

"Um, Amanda, I hope you don't think I'm prying, but…well…you and Lee haven't gotten back together, have you?"

Amanda nearly laughed at the blonde's obvious discomfort. "Back together? Now, Francine, why would I do a thing like that? If I know it's never going to last, why would I put myself through that twice?"

Francine looked relieved. "Oh, good. Because the way you were looking at that nightgown…well, you looked pretty excited about it."

Amanda gave a sad sigh. "Just memories, Francine. Like you said, I don't have any use for a thing like that anyway."

"Right," Francine replied awkwardly. "Well, I'll see you later. I'd better get going. I've got to try these on, and I'm supposed to meet a contact in an hour." She held up her own mesh bag.

"I'll see you at the office on Monday," Amanda replied politely, moving to the cashier to pay for her items. She spared one more longing glance for the gorgeous peach nightgown before sighing and turning away. Maybe another time.

* * *

Monday morning, Amanda walked into the Q Bureau bright and early. Lee hadn't arrived yet, according to Mrs. Marsten, and Amanda was looking forward to an hour or so of solitude to get some paperwork done. She always liked the office in the morning – there was something soothing about the quiet.

When she sat down at her desk, she was surprised to see a thin gift box about the size of a sheet of paper sitting in the middle. Seeing the Dawn's logo in the corner of the box, Amanda's eyes widened. Had Lee made a trip to the lingerie store this weekend, too?

Dropping her purse and the files she carried on the corner of her desk, she quickly opened the box and peeled back the tissue paper. She gasped.

There, among the white paper, lay the exquisite peach nightgown she'd been mooning over at the store. Had Lee been spying on her?

There was a small card taped to the lid of the box. Amanda gently opened it, and nearly dropped the box in shock.

_Amanda – _

_Because every woman needs a little pampering every now and then._

_Let's keep this between ourselves, though?_

– _A friend_

Amanda let out a hysterical giggle just as the door opened. She quickly shut the box and turned to face the new arrival.

Lee raised an eyebrow at the logo on the box. "Something you need to tell me, Amanda?" he asked jealously.

But Amanda only grinned. "Just a friend."

"A friend who buys you lingerie? Expensive lingerie, I might add."

She chuckled. "Well… I doubt this person has many real friends. I suspect you are one of the few."

"Oh?" Lee's curiosity was obviously piqued. "So someone I know is buying you expensive lingerie. Who do I have to kill?" he teased.

"You might not want to commit murder once you've seen what's in that box, Stetson," she replied mischievously. "I have a feeling you're going to like it very much."

"Mmm-hmm." He sat on the corner of his desk and crossed his arms over his chest, a stormy look on his face. "Someone with good taste, then."

"Impeccable," Amanda agreed.

The sound of the door opening again diverted their attention. "Amanda, Mrs. Marsten said you were here… Oh, good morning, Lee," Francine said uncomfortably, taking in the scene before her. The box from Dawn's was sitting in plain view on Amanda's desk, and Lee looked positively furious.

The blonde plastered a bright cheerfulness on her face. "Oh, you did end up getting it! I'm glad you followed my advice. Your friend from college is going to love it – and I imagine her fiancé will, too. I assume you're mailing it today? You did say the wedding was next week."

Amanda grinned at the reprieve, a little amused that Francine felt the need to 'save' her from Lee, but happy to play along. "Yes, well, I felt awful that I wouldn't be able to attend. You were right, though; this was a much better idea than silverware."

"Oh, good." Francine paused, trying to find a reason to be looking for Amanda first thing on a Monday morning. "Uh, Amanda, I just wanted to let you know that Beaman's class is cancelled today. I wasn't sure if you'd gotten the memo last week; you and Lee were out of the office quite a bit."

"Oh, thanks, Francine. I did get it."

"Right. Well, I'll see you two at the meeting."

When the blonde had left, Lee stood abruptly. "So, who's getting married?"

Amanda shot him an amused grin. "We are."

Lee chuckled incredulously. "Are you trying to tell me that Francine bought you a…well, whatever's in that box?"

"You're telling me you don't believe my story about Liz Phelps from college getting married to her old high school sweetheart, Tim?"

"Don't give me that innocent look, Amanda King," Lee scolded playfully. "I know you better than that. Though, I'll admit, that was quick thinking on Francine's part. Yours, too. Nice job playing along."

Amanda grinned. "It's all a part of the job, Scarecrow. You remember Ricky Joe, of course?"

Lee's memory flashed to a drink in his face, and a very loud insult to his prowess in the bedroom. He grimaced. "How could I forget, 'honeycakes'?" he drawled.

* * *

"Lee didn't give you too much trouble, did he?" Francine said softly to Amanda as the agents trickled out of the conference room. "He looked pretty mad."

Amanda hid a grin. "He thought some other man was buying me lingerie less than a week after I broke it off with him. Anyone would be. Thanks for the save."

"Well, you know, we women have to stick together. Nice job picking up, by the way. I see what Lee meant about your knack for this sort of thing."

This time, Amanda let herself smile. "Thanks, Francine – for everything. It means a lot, you know."

"Yes, well, don't let it get around, okay?"

"My lips are sealed."

* * *

"Francine?"

The blonde looked up from the file she was reading. "Oh, hi, Amanda. How did your meeting with State go?"

"Just fine, Francine. Listen, can I talk to you?"

Francine shrugged, returning her paperwork to her desk. "Sure. What's going on?"

"Not here. Up in the Q?" Amanda asked quietly.

When they'd reached the office Amanda shared with Lee, Amanda shut and locked the door to avoid any interruptions.

Francine frowned at the serious look on the brunette's face. "What is it, Amanda?"

Amanda took a deep breath. "It's about me and Lee."

"Lee?" Her frown deepened. "Oh, no – I was afraid of this."

"No!" Amanda replied quickly. "No – it's good news. I think."

"You think?" Francine's confusion was evident on her face.

"Well…first of all, I wanted to thank you for being such a good friend the last couple of years," Amanda said earnestly. "You've supported me professionally – and yeah, we disagree a lot, but it gets things done. I really appreciate all your help over the years. And it means a lot to me, what you've done on a more…personal note. You remember…that thing with Lee, last year…"

Francine nodded impatiently. "Where are you going with this, Amanda?"

Amanda took a nervous breath. "Well – I count you among my closest friends, Francine." She barreled on, though she noticed the surprised expression on the blonde's face. "And I really, really hate lying to my friends."

"Lying?"

"Lee and I – well, we never really broke up. In fact…that day you saw me at Dawn's, I was shopping for something for our honeymoon."

Francine was speechless, flabbergasted. Finally, she broke the silence. "Honeymoon?"

"We haven't really told anyone yet," Amanda rushed on desperately. "There are a lot of reasons we're keeping it quiet – my family barely knew him at the time, we're worried about their safety if everyone knows…we're worried about our partnership…but I just can't keep it quiet anymore. Not when I know you tried so hard to help me get over him…"

Francine blinked, processing Amanda's rapid monologue. Then, a slow, mischievous smile spread across her face. "Honeymoon?" she asked again.

Amanda nodded. "Right after the Nick Grant case."

The blonde chuckled. "No wonder you two were in such a hurry. Just tell me one thing, will you, Amanda?"

"What's that?" she asked nervously.

Francine raised an eyebrow. "What did Lee think of that peach nightgown?"

"Well…" Amanda blushed at the memory. "It didn't exactly get saved for the honeymoon…"

"Amanda!" Francine laughed incredulously. "I guess Lee was right when he told me not to underestimate you."

Amanda grinned smugly. "You don't know the half of it, Francine."


End file.
